Sunday, January 24, 2010

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher




Rating: 4 out of 5


I was trying to find a book to give as a birthday present for my niece who's about to turn 16 years old this month (Kids sure grow fast, don't they?) when I came across 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher at the Hastings bookstore. I'm not really into YA novels, but something about the cover just made me want to pick it up and buy it. Yes, I am a sucker for nice covers.

At the beginning of the novel, high school student Clay finds a bunch of audio tapes sent to him. These tapes were recorded by Hannah, Clay's crush. However, Hannah is also dead. She committed suicide weeks before. With her voice reaching from the grave, Hannah tells her story and why she ended up committing suicide.

This is a very sad story. At first, I thought Hannah's reasons seem petty and selfish. Then I decided to put myself in her teenage shoes. That was when I began to understand her. It really wasn't until the end when I realized how she lost her belief in humanity. I'm not saying that what she did was right, but her suicide could have been prevented. I'm a healthcare worker so I've seen cases of attempted suicide and suicide. It's really easy to judge a person without knowing what's going on in their life. This book showed just that.

I breezed through this book. Even though the story was depressing, it was still good. While I recommend it, I don't think it's for everyone.

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